Department/College: College of Medicine

Research areas/interests:

Pediatrics, specifically all pediatric refugee work at the Pediatric New American Clinic

Green Interview Summary

Dr. Andrea Green joined UVM as a professor in 2010 but has been working as a pediatrician with the Pediatric New American Clinic at the UVM Medical Center since 2004. Her career has focused heavily on clinical work and medical projects. Her first formal research project examined the difficulties New Americans face in terms of mental health upon arrival and resettlement. Currently, she is working on multiple projects centered on issues facing New Americans. Dr. Green is studying the body mass index (BMI) of patients over three years while looking at how New Americans make choices regarding food and feeding their families. Other projects she has worked on have examined the use and misuse of car seats and booster seats among refugee families and has also explored the benefits of yoga and meditation. Dr. Green also plans on seeing how refugees in the pediatric office understand instructions they are given at departure, and whether or not they are followed.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Green brings an intimate approach to the study of refugee-related issues because of the deep personal relationships cultivated with refugee children and families over the years. These relationships, however, do not come without difficulties. Communication with children can be difficult in its own, but when communicating with a vulnerable, non-English speaking population, the difficulty becomes amplified. Dr. Green also notes the difficulty of gathering true consent from refugee families because of the communication barrier. Cultural differences stress relationships between medical providers and refugee families because clinicians do not have the training or the time to feasibly do the cultural work. Going forward, Dr. Green believes the role of the medical field is to improve refugee-medical provider relations and bridge the gap between the two communities. A major step toward improving this, Dr. Green believes, is for associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics to publish and disseminate information in networking with organizations that have the ability to influence the political structures within their field.

She has seen the urge of students to get involved in the refugee crisis, including working with South Burlington High School to help students create a ‘safe space symbol’ to let refugees know they are welcome. For students hoping to work with refugees first hand, Green stresses the importance of knowing yourself and being able to recognize your own assumptions. Since most students working with refugees have not come from a background of vulnerability, it is crucial that they focus on empowering other people through their projects.

Yoga and Mindfulness Cards as a Brief Intervention in a Pediatric Refugee Health Clinic

When: 2016

Funding: Annual Fund (check this out)

Project Description: This project, presented at the 2016 National American Refugee Health Conference, addresses the possible benefits of Yoga and Mindfulness Cards for pediatric refugee patients battling PTSD and other mental health disorders. This project introduced yoga to patients through the use of the Yoga 4 Classroom cards. The use of these cards benefitted patients struggling with headaches, depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Other Research

Barriers to Identifying Trafficked Youth in the Vermont Healthcare Setting

When: 2014

Project Description:This project explored barriers to identifying youth at risk of human trafficking and the obstacles these at-risk youth face accessing the health care system. This project showed that Vermont needs more resources for identifying human trafficking. Health care providers in the state also require more training for dealing with at-risk youth and/or human trafficking victims. Many youth victims have difficulties accessing the health care system either because of fear of retaliation from their abusers or because of lack of transportation and monetary resources.